Iraq/Pool/Mike Massey

DeadPoked

DeadPoked

Inadequate User
Silver Member
I posted this under my old thread but it was lost in the shuffle.


Hello from Iraq!

I've been here for a little over a week and a half now and the days are passing fairly quickly. Partly because I work, eat, go to the gym, and go to sleep in that order everyday and I haven't had a day off in almost 3 weeks.

In between that hectic schedule we get rockets and mortar fired at us pretty consistently. Very exciting stuff.

This base actually has two pool tables but they are not on a solid surface and the felt has wrinkles in it around where you rack. They are having trouble finding someone from off-base to put new table cloth on apparently.

How hard is it to replace table cloth on a pool table? Is it something that I could find instructions on the net and do it myself without any assistance?

I am going to try to talk to my Services squadron to move the tables to a different location in the building that has a solid surface. They are both bar boxes. I think they might be Valley's.

I was hoping there would be some people on this base that could teach me a few things playing pool but it looks like I will be doing most of the teaching. Last time I deployed I was B- player and had an A player from my home station deploy with me. I learned a lot from him on that deployment. Some of you may know him, Tony Softa. There are few people on here from Alaska, and if you play pool there you probably know Tony.

Also I remember a thread about Mike Massey wanting to do a USO tour throughout the Middle East, anyone heard anything about that? I PM'd the guy that apparently knew Mike and who posted a thread about it, but I have not heard anything from him. If anyone has any information or an e-mail I could get in touch with Mr. Massey I would appreciate it. It would be awesome if Mike came to my base to do a trick shot exhibition and maybe I'd get a chance to challenge the new hall of famer!

For anyone that would like my e-mail, you can reach me at roy.payton@krab.aorcentaf.af.mil.

Thanks and have a good day!

Roy
 
Glad you are doing well. :) I don't know anything about the information you are requesting...sorry. :( I have seen my husband recover Valley's before. It didn't look that hard and wasn't too time consuming. I'll see if I can find you something on the net. I think there have been threads on the CCB about it. I'll look tomorrow as I "work". :D

Stay well and thanx again.
 
good luck in iraq

hello there, thanks for the job you are doing in iraq, kinda makes ya think of how we complain when we get bad rolls on a good table, you have wave in the cloth and bombs dropping, makes our bad rolls seem small, any way,, i think i know tony softa, if its the same guy he is originally from south of pittsburgh pa, as him about the old days at bjs sports bar in uniontown pa, ask him about mikey and jerry, i am sure if this is the same guy he will have some good stories, anyway, good luck on the table repairs,

pat obrien
 
I knew Tony Softa when I was stationed in Germany. Hell of a player. Keep your head down over there.

John
 
Tony is originally from PA, Pat.

I heard a lot of stories about his days in Germany. He can still speak German fluently. Were you in the Air Force onepocketchump?

skitelluride531 thanks for the e-mail address. I just e-mailed them. Hopefully I will hear from Mike soon.

landshark thanks for your help. Hopefully I will get some pictures on here soon. I have to get some permissions on the computer that I am using to install the driver for my camera first.

Take care,

Roy
 
cloth instalation instructions,

i have been looking around for some info for you guys to put cloth on your tables, simonis cloth has info on their website and will send diagrams and installation instructions upon request, thereis an 800 number on this website that i am posting, i dont know if you will be able to get the info or not, it says to call for the instructions to be mailed to you, if youhave no acces or cant get them through emailing them i will contact them and send them to you, if you want to send me all the mailing info to get them to you,

http://www.simoniscloth.com/Installation.htm

email me at obrien714@gmail.com

email me the info anyway, ill pop some pool mags i have here and some pool dvds for you guys to watch,

my bro is in the navy and i know any little entertainment is always welcomed,

pat obrien,
 
I wonder if they would even send you guys some cloth to put on the table to give you guys something to do...
 
DeadPoked said:
I posted this under my old thread but it was lost in the shuffle.


Hello from Iraq!

I've been here for a little over a week and a half now and the days are passing fairly quickly. Partly because I work, eat, go to the gym, and go to sleep in that order everyday and I haven't had a day off in almost 3 weeks.

In between that hectic schedule we get rockets and mortar fired at us pretty consistently. Very exciting stuff.

This base actually has two pool tables but they are not on a solid surface and the felt has wrinkles in it around where you rack. They are having trouble finding someone from off-base to put new table cloth on apparently.

How hard is it to replace table cloth on a pool table? Is it something that I could find instructions on the net and do it myself without any assistance?

I am going to try to talk to my Services squadron to move the tables to a different location in the building that has a solid surface. They are both bar boxes. I think they might be Valley's.

I was hoping there would be some people on this base that could teach me a few things playing pool but it looks like I will be doing most of the teaching. Last time I deployed I was B- player and had an A player from my home station deploy with me. I learned a lot from him on that deployment. Some of you may know him, Tony Softa. There are few people on here from Alaska, and if you play pool there you probably know Tony.

Also I remember a thread about Mike Massey wanting to do a USO tour throughout the Middle East, anyone heard anything about that? I PM'd the guy that apparently knew Mike and who posted a thread about it, but I have not heard anything from him. If anyone has any information or an e-mail I could get in touch with Mr. Massey I would appreciate it. It would be awesome if Mike came to my base to do a trick shot exhibition and maybe I'd get a chance to challenge the new hall of famer!

For anyone that would like my e-mail, you can reach me at roy.payton@krab.aorcentaf.af.mil.

Thanks and have a good day!

Roy
Click to expand...

Hi Deadpoked,

I have a friend in Iraq right now who is in the US Army. You might know this bit of advice already, but my friend says the worst thing you can do in Iraq is get comfortable to the point where you are not as cautious and not as alert. He says no matter what keep your eyes peeled and your ears open. I hope you come home safe and without a scratch. Take care!
 
If I remember correctly, when Mike was on the Regis Philbin(sp) show. He made the comment that he was going to visit the servicemen in Iraq. Can anyone back me up on this?

Lunchmoney
 
Roy
Take care over there. Appreciate you taking the time to drop us a line. Be careful. (You are already a hero to us, don't volunteer for nothing!)
JR
 
DeadPoked,

Let me know if simonis helps you out with some free cloth. If not let me know I will get some to you!!! Your choice simonis, arcade or mali. If you want a colorful cloth them you would need to go with mali or arcade. If you like plain old green go with simonis! Again Let me know if you get any and if not I can and will send some to you!!!

Luke
 
Coin-op table recovering instructions

I have only worked on "Valley" coin-op pool tables, so these instructions may or may not apply to other coin-op tables. (Helpful links are provided on next post.) If this is the first time you are installing cloth, may want to order cloth for a 9 ft. table instead of a 7 ft. table. Then if you mess up when recovering the cushions, you will have spare pieces of cloth to work with.

1. Remove the screws from the chrome metal strips around the sides of the table. Remove the metal strips by sliding to left or right. This will reveal the screws which hold on the cushions. Remove these screws as well. Remove the cushions. Mark each cushion and the table with corresponding numbers so each cushion can be reinstalled later in the same location.

2. The slate can now be lifted up and out of the table. The slate alone can weigh 300 pounds. Best to have two strong people lift the slate out by gripping it at the corner pockets. Next place the slate sideways on top of the table so three sides are overhanging. The cloth is glued to the underside of the slate. Remove the old cloth by peeling it off from the underside. Slide slate to other end of table to get access to opposite underside of slate.

3. Inspect slate. Look at underside to see if it has a build-up of adhesive around the edges. Since the edges of the slate rest on the table, any build-up of adhesive can cause the slate to warp and not lie perfectly flat. Remove the build-up of adhesive by turning slate upside down and scraping adhesive off with scraper or razorblade tool with handle. (This is messy.) It is less physical work to use liquid adhesive remover available at hardware stores. This is very messy and has nasty fumes. Best to do this outside. I placed my slate on two Coleman camping ice chests and these supported the weight just fine. Rinse off slate with a garden hose when all adhesive has been removed. After the slate has dried (24 hours), turn slate back over and inspect for bumps and holes in slate. Run your hand across the surface. Your hand can feel bumps and holes which are difficult to see. Fill holes with auto body filler available from automotive stores. Let dry as per instructions. Then lightly sand surface. Clean slate with damp cloth. Again run hand over surface to be sure you got all the bumps and holes. Let slate dry.

4. With slate removed from table top, clean out inside of table with vacuum. Run a ball down each gutter to be sure it rolls ok. Fix loose gutters/pockets.

5. The center supports on the table probably have some billiard cloth glued on. This is because the cloth wraps around the underside of the slate at the sides and elevates the slate the thickness of the cloth. The cloth in the center elevates and supports the slate for the same thickness in the center. This is why it is important to remove glue build-up around the sides of the slate. There will be no glue build-up in the center, so over time with glue build-up, the edges of the slate will be higher than the center, and the slate dips down in the center and will not have a perfectly flat playing surface. Remove the old cloth from the center supports and scrape off the adhesive. Some coin-op cloth has a rubber backing and is thicker than other cloth. So best to glue on pieces of the new cloth you are installing. Do this later with left over pieces of cloth.

6. Level/shim inside of table where slate rests. If the inside of the table is not perfectly flat (parts on which the slate rests), the slate will warp. Fixing this so the slate will rest on a flat surface will let the slate "unwarp" over time. Use a piece of "L" shaped perfectly straight aluminum cut to size (available at hardware store) to see if all surfaces long ways are flat. Then diagonal both directions. Then use a shorter piece of "L" shaped aluminum to check short ways. If there are gaps in the supports, use playing cards to shim the areas which are low. Some high areas may need to be sanded down. I just glue the playing cards on with spray adhesive. Spray the spray adhesive onto the cards outside. This stuff will get on everything and make it sticky. You don't want this to get on the balls if they are still in the table or in the gutters.

7. Install first side of new cloth on slate. Billiard cloth has a "right side up". Be sure you are installing it right side up, if not sure, ask your cloth supplier which side goes up. Lay the cloth across the slate so a couple of inches are overhanging a long side and about 3 inches over a short side. Fold back the cloth hanging over the short side. Do short side first. You will be spraying spray adhesive on the cloth, the edge of the slate, and the underside of the slate. You will also be stretching with all your might and will need another person to assist you. The spray will get on everything including balls, table sides, hairy arms, your hands, etc. Wear a long sleeve shirt and get a box of latex surgical gloves (available at a medical supply). After each spraying, remove the gloves and put on a new pair, so you will always be handling the cloth with a clean pair of gloves, and will not accidentally get any adhesive from your gloves on the playing surface. Cut a piece of cardboard to lay under the folded over cloth. This will keep spray adhesive from getting onto the playing surface. Place a big piece of cardboard in front of the table side (if slate is resting on table). This will keep spray from getting on the side of the table. Cover your floor/carpeting as well. Open all windows. Use "3M Super 77 Spray Adhesive" (cheapest at Walmart). Spraying at an outward direction to keep overspray from getting on playing surface/table, spray folded over cloth, edge of slate, and underside of slate. Don't spray pockets yet as pockets will be done later after cloth applied to all sides of table. Wait about two minutes for adhesive to dry a little. Now get your helper. (Clean pair of gloves!) Fold cloth over edge of table. Have helper hold cloth very firmly in center of short side. Pull cloth sideways with all your might, almost enough to pull slate and helper toward you. You are stretching half of the short rail cloth toward the long rail. Now fold this under the slate and press it on with your hands. With helper still holding onto the center of the cloth, stretch the opposite side toward the opposite long rail, then fold it under the slate and press it on.

8. Now move to the opposite short side. (Clean gloves!) Fold back cloth, place cardboard everywhere. Spray, wait. Have helper handy. Then pull center of cloth toward you with all your might. Almost enough force to pull slate off table. Fold center a little over side and have helper hold firmly with hand. Pull one corner of cloth diagonally toward you with all your might. You are stretching half of the cloth toward the long rail and at the same time pulling the cloth toward the short rail. Next do the other side. (Clean gloves!) Now fold back the cloth on the long rail. Cut cardboard to cover everything. Spray entire long rail cloth, side of slate and underside of slate. Don't spray pockets yet. Wait 2 minutes to dry a little. There are lines in the weave of the cloth. The idea with this next stretch is to have the lines going in a straight line from one end of the table to the other. Stretch the cloth so the lines match up along the way in a straight line. Don't need to pull as hard with this stretch as you can pull too much. Next move slate so you can do the opposite long rail. Pull this really tight, but also keep eye on lines in cloth. If the cloth is pulled too much to one long rail side or the other, the lines in the cloth will not go straight down the table. (It can be disconcerting if you are practicing shooting a ball straight down the table and the lines in the cloth are at an angle.)

9. Next do the corner pockets. Use a circular bent piece of cardboard to keep spray off playing surface. You need to cut the cloth so it will fold nicely under the pocket. This takes experience and you will probably mess it up the first time. LEAVE TOO MUCH CLOTH. When the cloth is cut for the corners and folded under, there is not much to hold the center in place. Best to have a long piece like 6 inches going back under the table so the cloth will not come loose. May want to experiment cutting an old piece of cloth , rag, etc. before cutting the billiard cloth. The main thing here is to be sure there is only one thickness of cloth on the underside of the slate where the table is supporting the slate around the edges. There are not any supports near the corners, so cloth can be folded under "doubled over" and does not matter. Examine table supports and then be sure there is only one thickness of cloth under the slate where these supports are located. I guess you just need to do corners a few times or watch someone else do it to get the hang of it. Very important to spray cloth, edges of slate at pocket, and underneath. You can peel off cloth already glued to the short or long side and re-spray if needed. Next do other corner pockets.

10. Do side pockets. This is a royal pain. Again, experiment with a rag for cutting, leave long pieces of cloth to glue to underside. Just need to do this a few times to get the hang of it.

11. Cut excess cloth off of underside of table. I like to leave about 3 or 4 inches.

12. Do not place slate back on table yet. Do the cushions. [Doing this takes experience and is a pain. It is like doing upholstery work. Some professional billiard cloth installers might do just the rails for you for not too much money. Some people will recover their table, then take the rails to a professional.] Cut pieces of cloth for the cushions using the cutting guide provided with your cloth or from the link below. Note that this may not be accurate for a 7 ft. table. May want to use a spare piece of old cloth to experiment with to be sure you are cutting the cloth to the right size. The problem here is cutting the cloth too narrow, gluing on one side, then not having enough cloth left to tightly pull and glue the other side. The cushions are done by spraying the back of the rail with spray adhesive (I do this outside), then placing the cloth on one edge at the center, stretching the cloth toward the end, then toward the other end. Then let it dry, then spray and do opposite side. Be sure to install cloth right side up! Also be careful to only glue the *back* wood portion of the cushions, don't get any spray glue on the front or rubber part. The cloth needs to "slide" freely against the rubber when a ball hits the cushion. Next do the ends of the cushion. The ends can be done by *very* tightly pulling the cloth more and more as you approach the end and there will be no fold. This takes a lot of experience. Also this has the effect of pulling in the cushion rubber toward the ends of the cushions so the cushion rubber is more like a curved line than a perfectly straight line. This is not good if you have a frozen to the cushion ball near a pocket and want to shoot it to the opposite end of the table. It will not follow the rail. I prefer to fold the ends of the cushion. Does not look as nice, but keeps the same amount of pressure from the cloth applied to the entire length of the cushion and keeps a new cushion in a perfectly straight line. (Hold up a piece of "L" shaped aluminum to old cushions and see if they are in a straight line.) Fold the corners and cut getting the cloth so it can fold over. (May want to see how old cloth was cut and do the same.) Use an iron to make a tight fold before stapling. Use a staple gun to staple cloth to cushion back. Be sure to use long enough staples. Also try to not have too many layers of cloth overlapping. This will make the cushions so they will not install flat against the table when re-installing.

13. Cut and glue left over pieces of cloth to center supports of table. Let dry. Reinstall slate. Be careful to grip slate with your fingers in pocket openings so they will not get smashed.

14. Now is a good time to use a construction chalk line to mark lines on the table for where the spot should go. Have a helper assist. Hold the chalk line from one center diamond to the opposite, then snap the line to mark line on table. Then do the same from second diamond to second diamond. It is easier to line up the chalk string with the cushions removed. Then apply spot where lines intersect. (The line marks will come off with a damp cloth.)

15. Reinstall cushions in their same locations.

16. Play pool!
 
Helpful links....

As of this writing, Valley is a division of Brunswick Billiards and called Valley-Dynamo. Their link is...
http://www.vdlp.org/index.asp

Address:
Valley-Dynamo
2525 Handley-Ederville Road
Richland Hills, TX 76118

You can get replacement rails at the following link...
http://www.penguinamusement.com/

Table Parts/cloth/recovering tools...
http://www.billiardsstore.com/category/tcat/51.cfm
http://www.lakesidebilliardsupply.com/billiardtableparts.html
http://www.bestbilliard.com/catalog/1001.cfm?category=Repair
http://www.seyberts.com/table_accessories/parts/index.htm
http://www.billiardfanatic.com/s_section.asp?DPT=3
http://www.mountaincoin.com/
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=billiard+recovering+tools&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=coin-op+pool+table+parts&btnG=Search
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=billiard+cloth

Books/recovering instructions...

At the bottom of the page (on the following link), click on the following...

View The Championship
Fabric Installation Guide

http://www.champbilliards.com/product_details_fabrics.asp?prod_id=1

Cloth cutting...
http://www.poolndarts.com/store.cfm/cat/86.cfm

Book: The Green Book - Pool Table Maintenance Manual...
http://www.ozonebilliards.com/greenbookpoo.html

Booklet: Secrets of Pool Table Recovering...
http://www.mccauleyweb.com/secrets.htm

Book: Pool Table Sales and Service
Order from:
Conway Billiards
1696 W. Morton Ave.
Porterville, CA 93257
559-782-0505

The following site offers online instructions, but to get a password, you need to make a purchase or pay for access...

BestBilliards - Pool Table Recovering Instructions...
http://www.bestbilliards.com/recover

Also there is a book called "Minnesota Fats on Pool" which has recovering instructions.

Note: The only book I know of which covers coin-op table recovering in any detail, and at that very little, is "Pool Table Sales and Service".
 
If I only had ...

IF I only had some anonymous credit card, I would order some off the internet
and have it sent to you ....

but, the delivery guy might have to serpentine -- serpentine
to get it to you.... (remember the original in-laws movie with
Peter Falk)

ROFL .....
 
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